Synopsis

After the sudden death of his mother, elementary school student Chihiro Komiya is left with no home and no family. But this changes when he encounters a rich and frivolous stranger who turns out to be his long-lost uncle, Madoka Takatori. Madoka offers to take Chihiro in, but upon arriving at his uncle's high-class mansion, the young boy is greeted by a plethora of dust and garbage. As Chihiro's neatfreak instincts kick in, he sets about cleaning the entire residence.

Shounen Maid is a lighthearted comedy that follows Chihiro as he finds himself dressed in a frilly uniform (handmade by his uncle), receiving a salary, and working as maid of the house.

Shounen Maid is a slice of life/comedy anime of the Spring season 2016, which doesn't seem to be very popular, but that doesn't mean that it is bad or not enjoyable.
In case you got some shounen-ai vibes from it and decided not to watch it or drop it, that is not the case in this anime. Shounen Maid, mainly, revolves around a heartwarming relationship between uncle and nephew.

Story: 8/10
Shounen Maid starts with a heartwarming way, as Chihiro, a young boy, is left homeless with supposedly no relatives after his mom died. That's when he suddenly finds his uncle, Madoka, who decides to take him in, despite being distant from his mother for several years. But Chihiro, feeling like he will be indebted to him if he just lives in his house, only accepts to do so when his uncle suggests that he can stay there, as long as he takes care of the house.
After that, there is not really much to the story, as it is mostly a slice of life/episodic anime (with just a few more serious events later on the series), but we see Chihiro and Madoka becoming closer, as well as their interactions with other characters of the anime.

Characters: 8/10
The characters are all interesting and fun to watch.
Chihiro, the main protagonist, is a young boy who just lost the only relative he knew, his mother, and is left homeless. Despite that, he is an earnest kid, that refuses to just be taken in by his uncle, without something to offer in return. He does that because he remembers his mother's words as well, who he loved and respected. Chihiro is, also, very obsessed with cleaning and is extremely good at household chores. He often scolds his uncle for not keeping clean his house, but he also respects him and as the time passes, he becomes closer to him.
Madoka, Chihiro's uncle, is a loving uncle, despite not having met his nephew before. He respects his choices, enjoys living with him and cares a lot about him, even though he likes to tease Chihiro often. Despite the fact that he is mostly a lazy and airheaded person, he loves his job as a costume designer and he looks serious when he is working.
Some other characters, like Keiichirou, who seems like the serious assisstant of Madoka, but also has his funny and more relaxed moments, Miyako, a cute girl who is hard-working when she needs to be and Hino, Chihiro's friend, are also enjoyable characters.

Art: 7/10
The art of Shounen Maid is quite simple with cute character designs, but it does its job well for this anime. The backgrounds are great, the colours fit the atmosphere nicely and the animation is pretty satisfying.

Sound: 7/10
The OP and ED are both pleasant and relaxing and the background music fills the scenes nicely. The voice actors, also, sound really good.

Enjoyment: 9/10
It is very pleasing to watch the interactions between the characters of Shounen Maid and the bonds that are being created. Apart from these parts though, Shounen Maid, also, has its funny and more entertaining moments, which are very enjoyable, too.

Overall: 8/10
Shounen Maid has a nice story and amusing characters, which are enjoyable to watch. It might not be meant for everyone, as it is a slice of life anime, but Shounen Maid is generally a very funny and heartwarming anime at the same time.
If you like watching this kind of anime, you can give Shounen Maid a try!read more

Shounen Maid is a TERRIBLY underrated show. I can get, however, where the reluctance to touch this show might be coming from, since 8bit produced it and the summary sounds like the premise to some terrible shotacon nightmare.

This is one of those (rare in this medium and industry, I am extremely sorry to express) 'don't judge a book by its cover' cases, though: Shounen Maid is basically a gen slice of life show centering around family, friendship and mourning. And it's done beautifully from beginning to end.

The show achieves the perfect balance between sweet, lighthearted comedic tones, and a more serious approach towards the emotional struggles of both MCs, both grieving and adjusting to new situations. I can honestly say I've laughed and teared up in almost every single episode.

There's no what one could call an overarching plot, since it's a more episodic in nature show, but there IS a natural flow of events and developments that lead to a satisfying and cohesive narrative evolution.

The side characters are all very enjoyable, and though some could use more screen time, they all still manage to be treated respectfully; at the end of the ride, there's no feeling that any one character could be disposed off and the show would remain basically the same.

The art is perhaps the weakest point of the work, and even then it's just because of how simple and commonplace the character designs could be, but they're truthful to the source material. The coloring is AMAZING: the lighting and shading is great and accompanies the tone of the narrative at all times, making the emotional moments all the more poignant, and the lighthearted ones all the more so. The use of CGI is spot on; I generally cringe at the inclusion of random CGI on shows like these because they stand out and not in a good way, they just look forced and cut the natural flow of the animation, but Shounen Maid uses it sparingly and with great criteria.

The sound is one of my favorite parts of this anime. First off: every voice actor does an amazing job. Fujiwara Natsumi is especially convincing in her role, bringing Chihiro to life outstandingly, being able to convey and portray a wide arrange of emotions delightfully, and making me forget I was actually listening to a grown up woman (which didn't really happen in the dub version, sadly). This is especially notable given that this is her first role! Also kudos to Makino Yui, who was just really fun and easy to listen to.

The opening was DELIGHTFUL. Simply DELIGHTFUL. The song itself was really catchy and fit the mood of the show while the lyrics were attuned to it, which for some reason doesn't happen very often. The ending is really fun and helps a lot towards immersing oneself in the illusion of Shounen Maid (the idols -who aren't main characters- get songs! Plural! And they're pretty good!).

The SFX and ambience sounds are all very well utilized, and the OST is absolutely enjoyable and does its job greatly.

All in all, Shounen Maid is a slice of life gem, and I would very much recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the genre but might be reluctant to give it a shot. read more

What do people see first is:
Studio? Yes
Art style? Yes
Rating? No doubt it,absolutely Yes

I didn't really like anime produced by 8bit, such as Grisaia or Infinite Stratos (I don't like ecchi and harem) but I don't think Shounen Maid is bad. It reminds me of anime that I think isn't very different, they were rated low because the story is mediocre or bad. If I say bluntly,underrated anime in this season. I don't really like to make a review,but,because of the low rating makes me act to share my thoughts. N/T: I'm not very good about reviewing, don't expect more.

Story : Taking the story of a boy who lost his mother, then he met with (people who claim to be) the sister of his mother. From here he starts a new life. The story is quite simple, but most importantly this anime is not running slow or flat. It's funny! I often find anime like these always have a story that is flat and in the end people just see the art only. But thankfully, no one can fill the anime genre slice of life-comedy so be interesting to follow. Back to the genre, no drama, just a comedy, so I guess it's exaggeration to expect more conflict. So I think your focus should be on "the genre before you judge". The story is definitely adjusting of their genre. (8/10)

Art : Added with moe-style, and bubble effect. This is style of slice of life-comedy anime, muted colors and make comfortable. The interesting thing is here, I see (almost) all of the studios have developments in the matter of drawing, coloring and effects. Maybe the impression from it's 'eye'. Easy way, you compare with Hitsugi no Chaika (Season 1) -> (Season 2) or the development of Kyoto Animation with K-On -> Hibike! Euphonium. Maybe other people will not notice the little things. But I prefer to see small compared to what others see. Studio this one, don't see by many people, not as prestigious as Ufotable, PA works and others. But look at the efforts of the staff and producers in this anime, is bad? No. It's been great. Although in terms of movement of the object in my opinion is still far behind Production I.G. which you can see their works Ghost in The Hell or Haikyuu (9/10)

Character : Which is the driving force of the story is the character of the protagonist, Chihiro, a small child was stubborn and resolute when it comes to cleanliness. He would never let even a speck of dust. (I was surprised because he didn't get tired to clean, really opposed to me who might do as much as it would not want to). Then his uncle,Madoka, who had a relaxed nature, such as the soft-foolish. Madoka's assistant, Keiichirou, has eccentric nature against his young master. All three of these characters,no .. all the characters with different characters that make the story more interesting, didn't escape the role of the Seiyuu (VA). Seiyuu, maybe they pay little or even not a great job. But their role is very great influence on whether good or bad an anime. Maybe my hearing is problematic or indeed I was quite uncomfortable with Madoka's seiyuu. As far-fetched, so I think more suitable filled by Kaida Yuki (role : Fuji Syuusuke, Katsura Kotarou, Kurapika). But I appreciate his efforts, it was certainly not easy. For the other supporting cast, I think it's nice. (8/10)

Sound : I have no problem with sound effects (SFX), I think it's funny, the effect capable of supporting events around well. The less I like is opening and closing. Or rather, because my ears do need an adjustment first, so I can't give the main impression. But when it comes to the opening song, "Innocent Promise" by TRUSTRICK. I really like the chorus section. Then the opening scene, there is little prop up in my mind. My version, it should be funny or cheerful and part fighting against monsters replaced by dirt with cleaning tools. Once again, the monsters in my opinion doesn't fit. But it doesn't matter, not bad, I like especially when Madoka holding Chihiro's lace at the last second. And closing songs, I like the instrumental. Although "Zutto Only You" by Uchouten BOYS still not make me entirely interested. (7/10)

Enjoyment : When talking about entertainment, Shounen Maid able to give it. The story is light, light comedy and the rest is the proportion of this anime. Although unfortunately, this anime has a low rating. (8/10)

What I want to say, don't see anime only from the rating. Because decisive in the end is your own. Review only help and encourage you a little. read more

Shounen maid, as you can deduct from the title and the cover photo, is a comedy, slice of life with a little shounen ai on it. If you like shounen ai, you'll love this a lot; if you don't but you like slice of life, it still remains enjoyable as you can look at it as a heartwarming relationship of uncle-nephew rather than them 'being gay'. Also, it does not contain anything extreme (and by extreme you know what I mean) which makes this anime lovable

The story wasn't that new, the plot only works because one of our mc's parents died, his single mom. (Also, the mom has that hairstyle similar of dead mom hairstyle!! xD I'll stop... ) Because of that the boy is forced to be in the anime-ish that will mostly never happen in real life situation so the anime would function.

The story did its minor job as the characters are the main focus. They might have the characteristics which are over the top but their personalities have its each own depth. The protagonist, Chihiro, living his everyday life with a complete different environment is often confused and surprised but he knows that he's welcomed and has a place for him to be in. His uncle, Madoka, who volunteered to take care of the boy is the one who's actually being taken care of because of his child-like, aggressive approach on things. Although when the time calls for it, he acts like an adult and he shows how really cares for Chihiro. Madoka's voice acting is great, you can see, in this case hear, how he changes his tone of voice when he has this 'shift' I've mentioned before.
Some minor characters aren't just being archetypes: they have their own problems and they also learn how to deal with them with the help of other people.

It isn't the best of the best but it is enjoyable, even for who doesn't like shounen ai that much for the reason I've said before. This anime doesn't have intricate story line, almost non existent, just to show the development of characters through their everyday lives but the way it is executed is delightful and pleasant to watch. It is not meant for everyone if this kind of anime isn't your cup of tea but everyone can watch it: boys, girls noone cares if this is a shoujo. I just find myself smiling throughout every episode :]